Reducing the amount some student group leaders will be paid next year for the second time this week, the committee that distributes incidental fees agreed on Thursday on the formula it will use to bring its budget within its benchmark.
The Programs Finance Committee plans to combine decreases in pay for some leaders and reductions in the total number of paid positions to lower next year’s funding increase to about 6.88 percent, for a total budget of about $5.2 million. The PFC previously overspent its budget by 1.9 percent, authorizing an 8.9 percent overall increase.
The approximate budget allows the PFC to use its funding recommendation for every group instead of the ASUO Executive’s recommendations for the groups. The budget will also provide for $6,809 in groups’ increased health-care costs.
The PFC will confirm its final budget Friday morning after the ASUO Accounting Coordinator verifies the numbers.
The ASUO Student Senate
will hear the budget proposal
on Wednesday.
PFC member Michael Sherman advocated for creating a proposal that incorporates the committee’s budget deliberations, rather than using the ASUO Executive’s recommendation for most programs.
“I say we should avoid at all costs using the executive recommendation for programs,” he said. “Just to straight across the board go back to the executive recommendation would ignore that important information from these hearings.”
The committee’s most recent changes to the stipend model, which dictates how much student leaders are paid, lowers the amount top-level government officials receive from $200 to $175 per month, the amount lower-level government officials receive from $175 to $150 per month and the amount some officials and student program leaders receive from $150 to $125 per month.
Budget reductions also stem from the PFC limiting the number of paid leadership positions a group can
receive based on its programming budget. Most groups will be limited to between one and four paid
positions if the Senate approves
the changes.
However, the PFC exempted several groups that have many directors, including the student government, the ASUO Women’s Center and the Multicultural Center.
Although Thursday’s rough budget proposal is larger than the 5.62 percent funding increase approved for the PFC by the Senate, Senator Jack Crocifisso said he expects the Senate to pass it.
“I understand and I think the majority of senators understand you’re not going to reach benchmark,” he said.
But he said there likely will be “a lot of backlash” over changes to the stipend model.
“I wouldn’t want to be in your position,” he said to the PFC members.
PFC Chairwoman Persis Pohowalla said groups will not be able to appeal changes to the budget because of time constraints.

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